Means for filing micro-slides



y-' 1938. E. c. WEISKOPF 2,119,407

MEANS FOR FILING MICROSLIDES Filed Aug. 14, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet l Iinumtor Gttbmeg May 31, 1938. E. c. WEISKOPF 2,119,407

MEANS FOR FILING MICROSLIDES Filed Aug. 14,, 1937 2 Sheets-Shee 2 Patented May 31, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Edwin C. Weiskopf, New York, N. Y. Application August 14, 1937, Serial No. 159,066

1 Claim.

The present invention relates to filing means such as filing cabinets, and more particularly to means for filing a multiplicity of slides, such as thoseutilized in connection with microscopes usually for biological and bacteriological investiations. For convenience in reference slides of this character will hereafter be referred to as micro-slides.

The primary object of the invention is the provision of means for the filing of micro-slides of various sizes at low cost and with a high degree of flexibility in the sense that a single cabinet may be readily adapted to the filing of a variable large number of slides of different sizes without alteration of the cabinet itself. Thus, for example, in a cabinet provided with compartments of uniform size and with drawers of uniform size, it is possible in accordance with the present invention to file in such drawers, without altering the construction of the latter, a multiplicity of micro-slides arranged in groups in a visible filing system. Further, any drawer of the cabinet may be used without alteration for storing in large numbers a multiplicity of the slides. Also such drawers may be used interchangeably for filing index cards and lantern slides.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide a cabinet of the class described with means for the filing of fiat filing trays constructed and arranged to hold a plurality of slides in sub-compartments provided in such trays.

A yet further object of the invention is generally to provide means for economically filing a maximum number of slides in a minimum space while at the same time providing for the visible filing of a multiplicity of slides as well as for storagefiling and fiat filing of such slides.

The aboveobjects of the invention and other objects ancillary thereto will be fully understood from the following description considered with reference to the accompanying drawings which illustrate the preferred embodiment of the invention.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a. perspective view of a filing cabinet embodying the present invention, one of the drawers and one of the filing trays being shown in partially withdrawn position;

Fig. 2 is a side view, partly in elevation, of one of the drawers and of one of the inserts positioned in said drawer, with parts broken away for the sake of clearness of the illustration;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of an insert for micro-slides of a predetermined size, say 3" 2";

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary top plan view of an insert for micro-slides of a different size, say 3 n; I

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 of an insert for micro-slides of two different sizes, say 3" 1 and 3" 1"., respectively;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary top plan view of an insert for lantern slides;

Fig. '7 isa top plan view of an insert for the storage filing of a multiplicity of slides of different sizes Fig 8 is a sectional view on the line 8--8 of Fig. '7;

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary top plan view of a fiat filing tray;

Fi 10 is a detailed sectional view on the line Ill-l of Fig. 9.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, the filing cabinet to embodying the present invention comprises a base l2, a plurality of drawer sections M, a section I6 having compartments for the fiat filing trays and a top section la. The cabinet is thus of sectional construction and may comprise a larger or smaller number of sections than here shown, said sections being readily assembled in relation to each other and the base I2 and top l8. Preferably, said sections are made of sheet metal.

Each drawer section l4 comprises a plurality of compartments, such as that indicated by the reference numeral 20, of uniform size in which compartments sheet metal drawers 22 are slidably mounted. Said drawers 22 are of uniform size for interchangeable mounting in the compartments formed in the metal frame of the cabinet.

An important feature of the present invention is the provision of means for filing in drawers 22 a multiplicity of microand other slides of different sizes as for example, 3" 1", 3 1 and 3" 2" in such manner thatany of such slides may be filed in any of said drawers, either in a visible filing system or in a non-visible manner as, for example, in the storage filing of slides. For this purpose, there is provided a plurality of inserts each having the same or substantially the same overall dimension whereby to fit interchangeably any of drawers 22 but otherwise constructed and arranged for the filing therein of a plurality of slides of predetermined size or sizes. As illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3, an insert 24 for 3" 2" slides is removably positioned within drawer 22. Similar inserts 2B, 28 and 30, shown in Figs. 4, and 6, respectively, each have the same overall dimensions as insert 24 whereby any of said inserts may be positioned in drawer 22 in lieuof insert 24. As here shown, insert 28 is provided for the filing of 3" 1V slides, while insert 28 is provided for the filing in separate groups of 3")(1 /z" and 3" 1" slides respectively, and insert 38 is provided for the filing of-lantern slides. Said inserts are preferably made of wood and in the case of the micro-slide inserts they are provided with sub-compartments. Thus, for example, insert 24, as here shown, has two sub-compartments 82 formed by a central partition wall 84 extending longitudinally of said insert midway between the two side walls thereof. Said intermediate partition wall and said side walls are provided with closely spaced slide receiving grooves 38. As shown -in Fig. 3, said grooves extend for the full height of said walls whereby said slides are supported edgewise on the bottom 38 of the insert. Said grooves may be dimensioned to receive but a single slide, but are preferably wide enough to receive two slides S in back to back relation, as illustrated in Fig. 2.

Inserts 28 and 28 are similarly constructed with intermediate or partition walls 48 and 42, respectively, extending for the full length of said inserts for forming in the latter sub-compartments and 48 and 48, respectively, sub-compartments 44 and 48 in inserts 28 and 28 being provided for 3" 1 slides and sub-compartments 48 in insert 28 being provided for 3"xl" slides. Said inserts are provided with grooves 48 in their partition and side walls, as shown, for receiving the slides, it being understood that except for the number of sub-compartments, inserts 26 and 28 are of the same construction as insert 24. Referring to Fig. 6, it will be observed that insert 88 is provided with grooves 58 for receiving lantern slides. Said grooves are provided in the side walls 52 of said insert and extend for the full height of said walls whereby the slides are supported edgewise on the bottom 54 of insert 38. Thus, it will be apparent that microand other slides of various sizes may be filed in a visible filing system in any drawer 22 by providing said drawer with a suitable insert such as one of those which have just been described.

In accordance with the present invention, provision is made for the storage filing of a large number of slides of any of the sizes which may be filed in a visible filing system, as hereinbefore described. For this purpose, an insert 58, such as that illustrated in Figs. 7 and 8 is provided. Insert 58, which is preferably made of wood, has the same or substantially the same overall dimension as any of the above mentioned inserts and is thereby adapted to be removably positioned in any one of drawers 22 in interchangeable relation with the above mentioned inserts. As here shown, end walls 58 of insert 58 is provided with a plurality of spaced grooves 88 in which the end portions of partition walls 82 are removably received. Partition walls 82 may be formed of wood or of any other suitable material, such as fibre-board. When formed of fibreboard, said walls may be somewhat flexible and in that event, in order to maintain said walls against lateral flexing, grooves 84 are provided in the bottom 88 of insert 58, the bottom edges of the inserts being received in said grooves. It will be observed that partition walls 82 maybe positioned in proper spaced relation whereby to define sub-compartments 88 which may vary in width, respectively, for receiving slides of different sizes. As illustrated, the slides S may be mounted in said compartments in close face to slides from the spaced compartments.

face relation whereby a large number of said slides may be stored in said insert.

Referring now more particularly to Figs. 1, 9

and -10 of the drawings, it will be noticed that provision is made for the filing of slides in flat filing trays l8 constructed and arranged for positioning the slides in horizontal position. For this purpose, section i8 is provided with a plurality of compartments 12 of uniform size, trays 18 being slidably and removably mounted in said compartments. Said section is provided with a cover-door l4 hinged at its lower edge in the front opening of the frame l8 whereby said door is movable outwardly and downwardly to permit the insertion and removal of trays I8 from compartments l2. Tray 18 is made of sheet metal and as here shown comprises a bottom 16, side walls 18, a front end wall 88 and a rear end wall 82. Spaced vertically disposed partition members 84 are struck up from the bottom 18 of the tray to define sub-compartments 88 for the slides, and a hole 88 is provided through the bottom 18 at each of said compartments for the insertion of a finger to facilitate removal of the Partition members 84 are preferably high enough to permit the filing in each compartment of at least two micro-slides, it being understood that said slides will be mounted in said sub-compartments in face to face relation and supported in horizontal position on bottom 18. The front edge 88 of the tray is provided with a downwardly and outwardly refiexed portion 98 providing a hand grip to facilitate the sliding of the tray into and out of its compartment in the frame of section l8. Said portion 98 is provided with a flange 92 which together with a similar flange 94 on a plate 88 defines an index-plate receiving groove. Plate 98 may be secured to portion 98 in any suitable manner as by welding or riveting.

Thus it is seen that the construction herein shown and described is well adapted to accomplish the several objects of the present invention. It will be understood, however, that while I have shown and described the preferred embodiment of my invention,,the latter may be embodied otherwise than as here shown and that in the illustrated embodiment, certain changes and omissions may be made within the spirit of the invention. Therefore, I do not wish to be limited precisely to the construction herein specificallydisclosed, except as may be required by the appended claim considered with reference to the prior art.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: A cabinet of the class described for filing a multiplicity of micro-slides of different sizes in groups containing slides of the same size, said cabinet comprising a frame having a plurality of compartments of uniform sizes, a plurality of drawers of uniform size slidably and removably mounted in said compartments, and an insert removably positioned interchangeably in each of said drawers and having sub-compartments for the filing therein of groups of slides of different sizes, respectively, said insert having a plurality of spaced longitudinally extending walls arranged in pairs and thereby defining said subcompartments in said insert, the walls of one pair being more widely spaced than the walls of another whereby the sub-compartments are of different widths, each of said walls having a multiplicity of closely spaced open top grooves which are in alignment and confront each other in each of said sub-compartments providing companion slide receiving 'grooves, each of said grooves being of such width as to receive two slides and to hold the same in vertical face to face contact,

with the slides in companion grooves spaced from the slides in adjacent companion grooves of the same sub-compartment, said sub-compartments of diflferent widths being thus constructed and arranged to have visibly filed therein a large number of slides of different sizes, each of said inserts having front and rear walls, and each of said drawers having front and rear walls which 6 extend above-said insert walls.

EDWIN C. WEISKOPF. 

